The project that is underway focuses on "family style" in child-abusing families, and coping style in abused children. Family style is conceptualized as the pattern of attitudes and interpersonal relations within the family along particular dimensions. Coping behaviors are defined as strategies for achieving mastery and self-gratification. In addition, the impact of external stress on the lives of abusive families is being assessed. A variety of structures and unstructured situations is being used to assess the variables of interest. These situations include parent interviews, individual cognitive assessments of the children, parent-child play sessions, and peer group play settings for the children. The birth records of all children and their siblings are being assessed for indications of problems at birth that could have an influence on mental, physical, or emotional development of the child. The scores derived from these data will be analyzed during factor analytic and correlational techniques for the purposes of answering certain questions: Is child-abuse indicative of particular family style(s)? Is child-abuse or the family style related to coping behavior in the children? To date, 237 mothers and 62 fathers have been interviewed, and 216 and 52 respectively observed in interaction with one or more ( a total of 311) of their pre-school children. In addition, 138 children have been observed in interaction with peers in a pre-school classroom and 159 have been tested for cognitive ability. 133 children have been rated by their teachers on a behavior rating form. Further data are to be collected, followed by data analysis to examine the hypotheses described above.